


Simplify

by smithy_of_words



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Birthday Presents, Camping, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-29 17:32:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5136551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smithy_of_words/pseuds/smithy_of_words
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Josephine's name day the year after the Inquisition destroyed Corypheus.<br/>Kiran Trevelyan has a surprise that she hopes will warm Josie's heart, despite the mountain's perpetually cold weather.<br/>(Unbeta'd)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Keys? I Don't Know Anything About That...

     After all the horrors of the past year had ended, there was a moment of peace—some time to rest.

     Kiran Trevelyan was going to be damned if she let that pass her by, so she created a plan…

     At exactly the crack of dawn on Josephine’s name day, she had the horses packed and saddled, and slunk into the kitchens in shadows, bribing the baker for a few of her best loaves of rosemary bread and rounds of cheese.

     All that was left was to wait.

 

     Biding her time while gathering flowers and herbs in the garden, Kiran watched as the sun broke through the thick layer of clouds that surrounded Skyhold, its light slowly warming up the cold earth.

     Gradually, more people appeared as their days began, chatting while they set about their work. That meant that Josephine would be sitting down at her desk soon, so it was time for Kiran to make her move.

     Scout Harding slipped up behind her and stood on her tip-toes to tap her shoulder.

     “Inquisitor, it’s time. We have our window of opportunity.”

     Kiran answered with a mischievous smile. This promised to be a great day.

\---

     Josephine Montilyet paced back and forth in the hallway.

      _Surely_ there had to be a logical explanation for where the keys to her office had gone, but she couldn’t find one.

     As such, she was reduced to standing about aimlessly, unable to attend to the growing stack of letters that seemed to grow by the day. People wanted to see the Inquisitor at parties, holiday celebrations, chantry dedications—even weddings! Now that the war was over, Josephine felt like her duties had changed from trying to acquire assurances of allegiances from noble houses, and that she had become something of a secretary.

     Regardless of her personal feelings on the matter, if the Inquisition was to stay relevant and to clean up the remaining messes from the chaos, it would have to be involved with the outside world…even if that meant making appearances at boring salons and the wedding of someone the Inquisitor barely knew.

     She leaned against the stone archway the surrounded the door, sighing.

     It would be nice if they could get a break every once and again.

     Being involved in saving, and now fixing, Thedas was a noble and worthy calling for anyone, but it did grate on the nerves often…

 

     Suddenly, Josephine’s heavy oak door creaked open just a crack!

     She turned to see what happened, when out stepped Scout Harding, sheepishly grinning.

     “I’m so sorry, Ambassador. There was a problem with your keys this morning. The lock was broken, and the locksmith was ill, so we had to climb in through the window…”

     Josephine raised an eyebrow. Clearly, she was not impressed by the scout’s explanation, but she chose not to press the              issue.

     “It’s fine. I must get back to work now. Thank you for assisting me.”

     Scout Harding backed away in a strange shuffle, tucking her hands behind her back, as if concealing something.

     (The iron keys dug into her palms with how tightly she gripped them.)

     “Have fun!” She called.

     Josephine shook her head, and turned to enter her office.

 

     Sitting in her chair was Kiran, hands folded in front of her, as if she was pondering a serious matter of business.

     “There you are,” she smiled, “I’ve been waiting for you. I’m sorry I had to get up so early this morning—hope I didn’t wake you. I assume Harding told you about the mishap with the keys? Dreadful business…”

     Josephine put her hands on her hips.

     “Oh, I see. And I suppose you were helping her gain access to my office? Hoping to gain access to my letters again?”

     Kiran gasped in mock offence, “My lady! Have I ever been anything but honorable?”

     Josephine rolled her eyes, “Am I to expect another bucket of soapy water above my head? Perhaps some honey on all my quills?”

     Kiran sprung up from the chair, eyes practically glowing with excitement, “No—although, that was amusing, you have to hand it to Sera—I have something even better planned! _You_ are coming with _me_!”

 

     And with that, the Inquisitor took Josephine’s hand and dragged her out to the Hall and down to the stables.

     Josephine trailed along behind her, genuinely confused.

     “It’s going to be an adventure! A name day adventure,” Kiran positively crowed, “It will be amazing. You’ll see.”


	2. Could Always Be Worse...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran and Josie head into the woods for their camping trip, and things don't exactly go as planned.

     Josie stood in her stirrups, moving from side to side to get the blood flowing; she'd been riding on hunts before, and out with her family, but never for this long--her entire body was starting to ache.

     Kiran looked unperturbed, humming a tune to herself while scanning the horizon with a contented smile.

     After riding for a few more minutes in silence, Josie spoke up, "Um...my love, do you know where we're going?"

     Kiran turned in her saddle to face her, "Why, Josie, you doubt my navigational skills? We're...why, we're right where we're supposed to be."

     "And where's that?"

     "...in the Hinterlands, of course. See the trees?"

     " _My love_..." Josephine was exasperated.

     "Okay, okay. So I don't know precisely where we're going, but it's an adventure, right? That's part of the fun. We just pick a place that looks nice and set up camp."

     Josephine sighed, "Well, we should probably pick some place to rest soon. It looks like rain. And Scout Harding said to be careful in the mountains, as the weather changes quickly."

     She motioned up to the sky above them, which was turning more dark and foreboding by the second.

     Kiran grinned, patting Josie on the shoulder good-naturedly, "I'm sure she was just worrying about us. We'll be fine. After all, it could always be worse."

 

\---

 

    A few minutes later the rain began to beat down, first in sheets, then in buckets.  It poured so relentlessly that the two of them could barely see the rain itself. 

 

     Josie arched an eyebrow, scrambling to pull the hood on her cloak over her head, "It could be worse? Now you really are just tempting fate!"

     Kiran frowned, but tried to maintain her composure, "Ah, well...it's just a...minor setback, that's all. If we head through the trees, I'm sure we'll be fine."

     The two beckoned their horses onward, bidding them to hurry to the treeline, where they would hopefully find some respite.

 

     They did not.

     While the forest grew denser around them, the rain fell more sparsely upon their heads, blocked by the branches above.

     And as they rode further on, the branches began to block even the sunlight, making it seem as though it were night, even in the middle of the afternoon.

     Josie pulled her horse to a stop and tapped Kiran on the shoulder.

     "My love, do you hear that?"

     Kiran had grown uneasy in the encroaching darkness, "H-hear what?"

     "I thought I heard something...maybe we should turn around. I don't know if this is safe."

     Kiran concentrated, gazing deep into the shadows around them. She stilled herself, listening for any snapping branches or crunching leaves that might indicate danger.

 

There was silence.

 

     She sighed, "Perhaps it was just a small creature. Foxes have been known to wander this area, but they're much smaller than our mounts, and us too. They must've heard us and skittered off."

     Josie shook her head, "I heard something. I'm sure of it. Couldn't you use some of your magic to see if anything was there? Mage fire might scare it off."

     Kiran frowned, "I had wanted to avoid using my magic--really have a true camping experience as any other would, but I suppose you're right. A small spirit wisp might help light the way. Besides, the horses might like more company."

     Kiran closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Summoning magic without her staff was harder, but it was easy enough to produce a simple spell, especially outside of combat. Willing the mana to flow through her fingertips, the air rippled in front of them,  as if someone had dropped a small pebble in a pond.

The ripples receded, and in the epicenter a sparkling aqua sphere appeared, hovering above the ground like a lantern. It danced around them, sailing through the air with ease. It glided between the trees and brush, leaving a faint glow in its wake.

     It appeared all was well.

 

     Josephine sighed with relief, "Oh, thank the Maker. These woods seemed so dark and unpleasant, but I guess the fatigue and shadows were playing tricks on my mind. I'm sorry, my love."

     Kiran smiled softly, "It was no trouble. Besides, I should've thought of this sooner--this little fellow makes things so much more pleasant."

     The little ball of Fade energy seemed to like that, bouncing around them like an excited mabari puppy.

 

     The two rested for a few moments.

     Until the wisp cast its light on a bear.

     Sitting about ten meters away in the brush, the biggest bear that Kiran had ever seen was staring them right in the face...snarling. The light from the wisp glinted off its teeth, shining on its spittle as it let loose a mighty roar that seemed to shake the entire forest floor.

     Oh, if only Cassandra could see this.

 

     Kiran swallowed, "Oh, Andraste's ass. Run!"

     Josie yelped and spurred her horse forward.

     Kiran followed, and the two of them leapt over fallen logs and rocks, weaving in between boulders and massive trees that seemed to touch the sky.

     They rode fast and hard, their charges showing the whites of their eyes in fear, until they could no longer hear the beast behind them, nor even the faintest rustle of leaves in the wind.

 

     They had come to a small clearing atop a sloping hill, the late afternoon sun shining softly.

     Where the raindrops had fallen on the grass, it shone like diamonds.

 

     Kiran dismounted and helped Josie down. The two took one look at each other and burst out laughing.

     "I don't want to use my magic," Josephine mimicked, "I want to go camping like normal folks."

     "Mercy me, I don't think there's anything. I must be fatigued. Fetch my smelling salts!" Kiran fanned herself with her hand, like a noble with a fan.

     The two fell, shrieking with laughter, onto the still-wet grass, until tears streamed down their face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The exciting conclusion!

“Kiran…are you awake?” Josephine whispered softly.

Water dripped down through a tear in the tent and fell onto Kiran’s forehead.

“No, I’m sleeping peacefully,” Kiran shot back.

Josephine sat up, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, my love. I guess putting the post over there wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

Kiran groaned and sat up too. “No, it was my fault. I thought I’d seen Scout Harding put enough of these damned things up over these last months to be able to do it myself. Cleary—” more water dripped down, “—I was wrong.”

Josephine giggled, wiping the water from Kiran’s face.

“I’m glad you find this so amusing,” Kiran groaned. “Are you sure you don’t want me to try using my magic to fix this hole?”

Josephine threw her arms out, “No, don’t! I mean…I am sure that you’re more than capable at many schools of magic, my love, but remember, fire is your specialty…not, um, sewing.”

Kiran sighed and flopped down onto the furs they’d assembled for a more comfortable bed.

“You’re right…that’s kind of annoying, you know. Just let me be right once in a while,” she grumbled, slightly muffled, from the pile of pillows.

Josephine laughed softly. “All right. I’ll endeavor to be incorrect more often.”

Kiran rolled over and looked her up and down. “Somehow, I don’t think that that’s possible for you. Can you imagine? ‘ _I’m so sorry, Lady So-and-so, this seems to be the wrong room. I have lead you to the rookery instead! How clumsy I am. Oh, woe is me…_ ’”

“Hey,” Josephine poked Kiran in the side playfully. “It wouldn’t be _that_ bad, surely. For instance, I could tell you that I misplaced my nightclothes, and that I don’t have anything to wear except this tawdry and soiled dress.”

Kiran sat up again. “Wait. Really? You didn’t pack another set?”

Josephine’s face flushed deeply. “Well, I didn’t _do_ the packing, if you’ll recall. Scout Harding took care of the small details. She seems to think that this—” she rooted around in her small pack and pulled out a lace-covered gauzy negligee “—would be appropriate for camping in the woods.”

It was Kiran’s moment to turn red.

“I-I assure you, I have _nothing_ to do with this!”

Josephine snorted.

“Really! I told her to pack something cute, like you would normally wear, but I never thought that _this_ …I’m going to wring her neck.”

Josephine laughed deeply, wiping her eyes.

“Oh, leave the poor dear alone. This is what people think I wear to sleep regularly? Maybe I shouldn’t wear quite so many frills in my day to day attire.”  


Kiran shook her head earnestly. “No, I wouldn’t have you change for the world. I think you look fine just the way you are. It’s…very _Josie_.”

Josephine grinned. “Well…I don’t see why this couldn’t be _Josie_ , too…”

“I, um, I mean, are you sure? Not that I wouldn’t want to see, not that I want to see anything, I just—oh, Maker’s balls.”

Josephine began to slip off her still-slightly-damp dress.

She peeled it off carefully, folding it in a neat pile to her side.

Kiran’s mouth hung open.

“I have you speechless, for once, I see.”

Kiran swallowed. “I, uh—wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Maybe we can…try something else out when we get home?”

Josephine ran a soft finger down Kiran’s cheek.

“But I’m—” Kiran paused as Josephine kissed at her neck, “—amenable to…whatever you’d like. This is for…Maker…this is for you, after all.”

Josephine’s eyes closed, and she hummed softly, trailing more kisses down Kiran’s neck, to her collarbone.

“Well, what if I want to make you happy?”

Kiran sighed. “I already am, believe me.”

Josephine’s eyes narrowed like a feral cat.

 

Suddenly, a gust of wind came roaring through the tent, causing the fabric to flap sharply, and pulling the walls down around them.

The two shrieked, pulling on whatever they could find to make it out of the tangled mess.

Kiran grabbed the furs and tossed a pile of blankets to Josephine. “Quick! If we hurry to the closest grove of trees, we can take shelter near the base!”

Josephine nodded, her eyes as big as saucers. “I’ll follow your lead!”

The clouds broke open again, rain pouring down onto the clearing.

Kiran grabbed Josephine’s wrist, and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

 

Panting deeply, Josephine held a soggy blanket over their heads. “So…is this what it’s like, following you into battle?”

Kiran wrung out her dripping hair. “Well, it’s usually not this wet…and we’re usually more appropriately dressed.”

Josephine giggled, then roared with laughter, even snorting a few times.

Kiran couldn’t help but grin.

Josephine leant over and pressed a kiss to Kiran’s cheek. “Well…I guess it was the thought that counts. Thank you for the surprise, my love…only…”

“Maybe we make it an indoor surprise next time? I completely agree." Kiran finished the sentence.

Josephine grinned.

 

When the first rays of the morning sun peeked above the hills, Scout Harding’s horse made it over the hill.

She noticed the mess of clothing, cloth, and wood and gasped.

“Inquisitor? Lady Josephine?” She called frantically.

What if someone had taken them? What if a wild animal had eaten them? What if bandits had killed them? What if—

“Harding, over here!” A distant voice called from the trees.

Lace spurred her mare into a canter and covered the distance quickly. “Inquisitor! My lady! Where are you? Are you safe?”

A bush rustled nearby.

“Ahem…yes, we—we’re just fine.”

That was Kiran.

“Could you please fetch me a cloak, or some means of covering myself? Quickly, if you please.”

And _that_ was Josephine.

Harding’s face flushed. “I, yes, of course! Right away!”

Kiran scrambled out of the bushes, leaves poking out of her hair. Mud was smeared all over her face and clothing.

Harding’s mount nickered nervously.

“Easy now, it’s just the Inquisitor. It’s all right, girl.”

Kiran strode over to them, stony faced.

She opened her hands without a word, and Harding gulped, taking off her woolen cloak.

As she bent to press it into her hands, Kiran grabbed her shoulder tightly.

“The red lace thing…really?” She hissed.

Harding laughed nervously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this last chapter took almost two years to get out...so much for my original estimated time of a week. Ugh. But, I hope this is to your liking! Let me know what you thought, and if you have any other ideas for these two lovebirds.

**Author's Note:**

> Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.  
>   — Walden
> 
> \---
> 
> Because what could be more fun than a camping trip where everything goes wrong?  
> Stay tuned for more in the next week or so.  
> As always, I welcome reviews and constructive criticism. Thanks for reading.


End file.
